Chomsky: BDS Tactics Likely to Fail

The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement is “virtually guaranteed to fail” because of unreasonable demands and misleading claims, according to noted anti-Israel activist Noam Chomsky.

“Those who are sincerely dedicated to the Palestinian cause should avoid illusion and myth, and think carefully about the tactics they choose and the course they follow,” Chomsky wrote this week in the Nation, referring to the BDS movement.

Chomsky noted that the BDS demand to flood Israel proper with millions of Palestinian refugees is a non-starter. “There is virtually no meaningful support for [the demand] beyond the BDS movement itself,” he wrote.

Join the Fighting BDS Facebook page and take a stand against the delegitimization of Israel.

He also shattered one of the BDS movement’s core arguments – the analogy between Israel and apartheid South Africa, which he labels “dubious.”

While there is, finally, a growing domestic opposition in the United States to Israeli crimes, it does not remotely compare with the South African case. The necessary educational work has not been done. Spokespeople for the BDS movement may believe they have attained their “South African moment,” but that is far from accurate. And if tactics are to be effective, they must be based on a realistic assessment of actual circumstances.

Chomsky also invoked an argument against BDS that has been used by anti-BDS activists for years – why focus on Israel alone? But while anti-BDS activists are usually referring to Iran or Syria, Chomsky cites the U.S. as his example.

“If we boycott Tel Aviv University because Israel violates human rights at home, then why not boycott Harvard because of far greater violations by the United States?” he wrote.

The last people on earth the BDS care about are the Palestinians – witness their total lack of concern for the 600+ Palestinains whose livelihoods they destroyed by the boycott of SodaStream [underlying political reason being Hamas objected to their ‘kinfolk’ being paid a living wage].

The BDS are just like the deplorable Sinn Fein during the Norhern Ireland troubles. However unlike Adams and McGuinness [who at least cared something for Northern Ireland Catholics], the BDS [who again, unlike Adams and McGuinness are all multi-millionaire non-doms] will never have the common sense, decency or shred of humanity to see reason, being as they are so consumed with outright anti-Semitism and jealousy of Israel’s success.

They are nothing but a deranged hypocritical virus, consistenlty utilising technology and medical advances invented and developed by the country they hate so much.

Alex’s article is a little misleading on the question of apartheid. It is true that Chomsky states in The Nation that Israeli treatment of Palestinians is “not South African style apartheid”, but he then goes on to say that “In the occupied territories, the situation is far worse than it was in South Africa, … In sharp contrast, Israel wants to rid itself of the Palestinian burden. The road ahead is not toward South Africa, as commonly alleged, but toward something much worse.” Alex’s article gives the impression that Chomsky’s article is more sympathetic to Israel. It is not.

If BDS is so ineffective, then why put exorbitant amounts of effort to dissuade people from participating? This reeks of derailment, I am not convinced by the arguments and I think BDS should continue to grow

Noam Chomsky makes an apt comparison in his analysis of the sanctions movement against Israel. In arguing that a nation which violates human rights , we must boycott ourselves. America has great violations of human rights and so by rights Harvard should be boycotted. The answer is not boycotts by free dialogue and speech.

Noam Chomsky has invalidated the BDS. To support Israel in any way is a first for him. I pray he continues to see the light and begins to understand and care about Israel and not just judge that brave little country because it is not leaving the West Bank without guarantees that assure peace.

“Those who are sincerely dedicated to the Palestinian cause should avoid illusion and myth, and think carefully about the tactics they choose and the course they follow,” What exactly are the goals those tactics -that are not working- supposed to achieve according to him?